1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a refrigerator, and more particularly, to a basket cover which is provided on a back surface of a door of a refrigerator to selectively open and shut a basket for storing articles therein.
2. Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 5 is a front perspective view showing a general configuration of related art refrigerator, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing an essential configuration of the related art refrigerator. As shown in these figures, the interior of a main body 1 of a refrigerator is divided, by a barrier 3, into a freezing chamber 5 formed at a left side thereof and a refrigerating chamber 7 formed at a right side thereof. An inner case 2 defines an inner surface of the main body 1 of the refrigerator and includes an inclined portion 2′ around a front inner periphery thereof corresponding to entrances of the freezing and refrigerating chambers 5 and 7. Due to the inclined portions 2′, the freezing and refrigerating chambers 5 and 7 are formed to be expanded towards their entrances. A plurality of shelves 8 on which stored articles are placed are horizontally installed in the freezing and refrigerating chambers 5 and 7, respectively.
The freezing and refrigerating chambers 5 and 7 are separately opened and closed by doors 5′ and 7′, respectively. A plurality of baskets 9 are provided on the back surfaces of the doors 5′ and 7′. The stored articles can be received and stored in the baskets 9, some of which are provided with a basket cover 10. In general, the basket cover 10 is made from a transparent material and rotated on a rotation center 11 formed on both ends thereof to open and close the basket 9. A handle 12 is provided at a leading end of the basket cover 10 to facilitate the opening and closing of the basket cover 10. The handle 12 has a length, a width, and a thickness. The width and thickness are substantially constant along the length thereof, as shown in FIG. 5. Reference numeral 13 indicates a hinge assembly.
However, the prior art as described above has the problems, as follows:
That is, if a user closes the door 5′ or 7′ in a state where the basket cover 10 has not yet been closed, the handle 12 of the basket cover 10 may interfere with the inclined portion 2′ of the inner case 2 and thus be damaged due to the interference. In particular, since the refrigerator is generally installed such that the doors 5′ and 7′ are spontaneously closed even though the doors 5′ and 7′ are still opened, the user should always pay attention to the opening/shutting state of the basket cover 10.
To solve the aforementioned inconveniences, a maximum limit to which the basket cover 10 can be opened is regulated by means of a stopper or the like installed thereto. However, if such a structure is employed, the basket cover 10 cannot be opened to the utmost, so that it is inconvenient to put and take the articles into and out of the basket 9.